Like the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) will always caution, ‘Open your eyes, well, well, as you shop’. For over two weeks now, the open markets, online and brick and mortar shops have been recording enlarged sales and smiling to the banks due to increased shopping occasioned by the festive season.
As the frenzy which usually accompanies the yuletide increases, most especially with just five days to Christmas, so also are tales of woes of consumers who are being swindled and duped.
Swindlers see the season as an opportunity to make as much money as possible, after all it’s something that occurs once in a year. Unscrupulous sellers flood the market with second-rate and unwholesome products. Sellers in possession of products nearing expiry dates see it as an opportunity to get those goods sold via Christmas hampers. While many thieves mingle with buyers and sellers looking for ways to rip off the unsuspecting buyers who let their guards down.
What do we do? We must learn how to beat them at their tricks and be at our guard at all time.
Last week, Mr. Theodore Udoh went to the notorious Otigba Street, inside Computer Village, Ikeja, to purchase a phone as Christmas gift for his father.
According to him, he entered a shop and was told the Microsoft Lumia he wanted was N35,000. He left the shop and saw the same phone with a road side seller for N30,000. He still went to another shop where he was offered the phone for N33,000. He decided to buy from the man selling N30,000, thinking it was the best bargain.
The man handed the phone to him while he counted the N30,000 and handed over to the seller. As soon as the seller took the money, he gently raised his shirt, revealing the butt of a gun while he asked Mr. Udoh to hand over the phone back to him.
It was so professionally done that though the area was crowded, no other person took notice of what was happening.
Trembling with fear, Mr. Udoh quickly surrendered the phone, leaving the Computer Village without his phone or money. He contacted his lawyer friend, who contacted Area F Command, Ikeja, and plain clothes police officers were deployed with Mr. Udoh to the place. And lo and behold, the same seller, in the same clothing, at still the same place doing what he knows best, ‘stealing’. He was arrested with his partners in crime at the same Computer Village. The lesson here is ‘buy from a reputable shop’.
Last month, I went to Idumota Market for some lace materials. Passing some shops on Adeniji Adele, I observed that majority of the shop attendants were rummaging in their shops and bringing out provisions intended for gift baskets.
There was a little gathering of market women. Curiosity got the better part of me, so I came closer to see what was happening. The provisions the attendants were bringing out were those nearing their expiry dates and the market women had come to buy them cheaper and use them to fill the gift baskets.
Also some time ago, I had entered a popular supermarket on Allen Avenue Ikeja, whose name I will, however, refrain from mentioning as it will not enhance the story in anyway but will rather damage the shop in question. Anyway, back to my story. I packed my car at the parking lot and went into the shop primarily to buy cereals.
Grabbing a shopping basket, I went to the cereal Iine. Glancing up, I was happy to see the cereals and the brand I wanted. I started picking them and dropping in my shopping basket. They were all 750g Kellogg’s products.
I picked my favorite Fruit and Fibre, Shreddies, Frosties and, of course, Special K cornflakes. As I always do, especially since editing ConsumerWatch, I checked for the expiry dates and Best Before Date (BBD) and to my horror I noticed they will all go off by the 15th of this month. By that time my family would not have finished the cereals of course. Besides, who wants a product that is close to the expiry date? Definitely, the quality will not be at its peak. It would have lost some freshness, flavour, crispiness and texture.
I sought to see the manager and smilingly she came out to see me. I pointed out that the cereals will be going off in less than a week and asked if she had in the warehouse ones with longer life span.
That was when she dropped the bomb unknowingly. “Oh, I forgot to remove them from the shelves so as to put them in the gift baskets for sale,” she exclaimed. Shocked, I reminded her that it means that some people will be receiving the gift baskets when some of the contents would have expired. Responding, she retorted, “What do you want me to do then? Are you suggesting I throw the cereals away and lose my money or have you seen anyone who died by eating expired cereal?”
Be sure to check the contents of any gift basket you are buying and do not forget the expiry date. Insist that the basket be opened for you before you make any payment.
This particular story is like something from a movie. It was unbelievable. Some time ago, at Shop X on Balogun Street, at Balogun Market, Lagos, Mrs. Kemi Adetunji, a trader in Ibadan, came as usual to buy goods at wholesale prices for retail in her shop located on the popular Iwo road, Ibadan.
Her customer for years, Mr. Innocent Ojukwu, who has several shops in the market and known for stocking up designer laces, georges, etcetera, was on hand to attend to her with his three salesmen. The shop, of course, was brimming with lady customers who like patronising Innocent, as he is known, for selling high quality goods at good prices.
As usual, Adetunji selected various fabrics and after agreeing on the price with Ojukwu, she counted out N600,000 and handed to one of the supposed salesmen closest to her.
Gesturing to her two assistants to carry the goods to where her vehicle was parked, she turned to leave, happily waving off Ojukwu and other people in the shop. The shop owner at that point reminded her jokingly that she was yet to pay for the goods.
Turning around, as she had already made to leave for the exit door, Adetunji as a matter of fact said that she had already given the money to one of the salesmen and continued to walk towards the door.
Looking at the three sales men who were busy attending to customers, Ojukwu asked which of them collected the money so it can be handed back to him and the three men denied knowledge of any money.
Calling Adetunji back, he informed her that none of the salesmen agreed to have received money from her, asking her to identify the man she gave the money to. Glancing around the shop, Adetunji said that the particular salesman she gave the money was no longer there, that may be the shop owner may have sent him on an errand.
Hearing that, Ojukwu immediately realised that something had gone wrong. Abruptly rising and striding towards Adetunji with his voice slightly raised, he informed her that he had only three salesmen who were still in his shop serving customers, so who exactly did she make the payment to?
In panic and fright, looking all around her extensively to see if she could see the person she gave the money to, Adetunji said she gave the money to one of the men, whom she had thought was one of the sales person, as he seemed to be actively involved in the shop, assisting customers, admiring fabrics, etcetera.
Who is the man, and where had he gone to? Nobody could answer. Ojukwu noted that when Adetunji walked in, three men walked into the shop with her. Cutting him off, she said that the two men were her aides, and that she did not know the third person. So, while the shop owner thought that the swindler, who obviously had been trailing Adetunji was with her to make purchases, she only saw him in the shop and believed him to be a sales person as he participated in the trading banter.
The stories are endless. The watch word is to be very careful and always be on guard. Do not forget the ones who are waiting to dip their hands into your bag to steal phones, money, etcetera. People who mostly engage in that scam now are those old women who look frail and helpless.
Have a wonderful Christmas.
